undated
Ephemera / Advertisements / Saddlery / Folder 2
GUSN-387605
This small broadside is an advertisement for James Boyd "Saddler" at number 27 Merchants Row, Boston. The advertisement lists other services and merchandise provided by Boyd, including the manufacture of engine hose, fire cups and buckets, molasses and oil hose for ships, as well as gunnery equipment, traveling trunks, valises, carpet bags, hat cases, and truck, cart and waggon [sic] harnesses.
The broadside has a detailed illustration at the top depicting a view of South Market Street, with what is now Quincy Market on the left, the South Market Building on the right. The masts of ships in Boston harbor can be seen in the distance. People, horses, carts, and wagons are shown around the buildings. Three large signs hang across the end of South Market Building, the largest of which advertises "J. Boyd's Hose Factory".
Under the illustration are the words "Pendleton's Lithography, Boston."
The broadside is undated.
merchants
saddlers
firefighting equipment
firehoses
harnesses
trunks (containers)
suitcases
hoses (tools)
buckets (vessels)
advertisements
1 printed advertisement, 7.75 x 9.5 inches
EP001
Ephemera collection
2024
EP001.01.100.01.02.012
1 printed advertisement, 7.75 x 9.5 inches
Library & Archives Purchase
Purchase, 2024
Boston (Suffolk county, Massachusetts)
Boston Harbor (Massachusetts) [harbor]
advertisements
Saddlery
Firefighting
Harness making and trade
This item is housed in a mylar sleeve for long term preservation
Item
Ephemera / Advertisements / Saddlery / Folder 2
James Boyd (1793-1855), was an Irish immigrant known for his revolutionary invention of the rubber-lined fire hose.
He married Margaret Curry (1794-1874) in 1815, and they had twelve children.
Boyd founded Boyd & Sons in Boston in 1819, and filed his patent two years later. Capable of withstanding greater pressure than riveted leather hoses, Boyds new rubber hoses allowed for a greater volume of water to be pumped, and made firefighting faster, safer, and more efficient. He gained prominence as a Boston firefighter and Massachusetts state legislator, and expanded his business with the help of his sons James and Frederick.
James Boyd was the founder of the Charitable Association of the Boston Fire Department and drew up its constitution and by-laws in 1828. This Charitable Association was the first of its' kind in the country to be originated for the benefit of the fire fighters injured in the line of duty. Boyd was elected the president of the board of trustees from May 1838 to January 1839 when he retired.
Boyd & Son was renamed "National Foam" in the 1920s and survives today as a leader in foam-based fire control.
Arsenault, James E. and Company (n.d.) Rare Advertisement for Revolutionary Fire Hoses with a Fine View by Pioneering Boston Lithographers. jamesarsenault.com/pages/books/3635/james-boyd-saddler-no-27-merchant-s-row-boston?soldItem=true\n
Find a Grave. (2014, February 6). James Boyd (1793-1855). findagrave.com/memorial/124711115/james-boyd\n
Missouri Boot and Shoe. (n.d.) History of Boyd & Son Boston, Massachusetts. missouribootandshoe.com/james-boyd.html
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